1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to network devices that allow for data to be routed and moved in computing networks. More specifically, the present invention provides for an improved method of discovering the topology of managed devices in a network and setting the routing required to communicate data between the managed devices.
2. Description of Related Art
As computer performance has increased in recent years, the demands on computer networks has significantly increased; faster computer processors and higher memory capabilities need networks with high bandwidth capabilities to enable high speed transfer of significant amounts of data. The well-known Ethernet technology, which is based upon numerous IEEE Ethernet standards, is one example of computer networking technology which has been able to be modified and improved to remain a viable computing technology. A more complete discussion of prior art networking systems can be found, for example, in SWITCHED AND FAST ETHERNET, by Breyer and Riley (Ziff-Davis, 1996), and numerous IEEE publications relating to IEEE 802 standards. Based upon the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) 7-layer reference model, network capabilities have grown through the development of repeaters, bridges, routers, and, more recently, “switches”, which operate with various types of communication media.
When multiple devices are employed in a network, the management of those devices is important to the overall functioning of the network. Often, management and control planes are implemented using propriety system buses or standards based buses, like, for example, PCI. Such an implementation can, however, be expensive and can be problematic if there is a single point of failure or if the designs for hot swappable devices are complex.
In-band management alleviates all the above and provides for resilient control of a network of managed devices. When using in-band management, the network management traffic flows through the network being managed along with the data that is be processed and routed. In-band management of a set of switching device connected together is one requirement in network devices in use today. There are significant cost savings and simplicity of design achieved due to in-band management. In typical switching system, the topology of the devices can change dynamically due to a multiple of reasons.
If a static topology configuration is used, the system will need user/administrator intervention to reconfigure the system each time there is a new topology created. There are multiple reasons for which a new topology may be created.
As such, there is a need for a method or mechanism that can be used by an master device in the network to automatically learn the topology of a set of devices arbitrarily connected using bi-directional point to point links. There is also a need for a mechanism to detect device failure and potentially re-route control plane traffic over alternate routes.